Have you ever watched two people work up to an argument while you, as a bystander, can tell that they actually are not at odds? The ability to read the emotions of others is not something we’re born with, but we come into this world with the potential for learning the skill. Some people grow up to be very good at it, and they generally have positive interpersonal relationships with family, friends, coworkers and their communities. But some people, sadly, are just not very adept at “getting” how others think and feel…and their relationships may suffer because of it.

Now a fascinating new study shows that you can improve this important social skill instantly, simply by doing a bit of reading. The best part: You don’t have to read some boring textbook or rah-rah self-help tome. You get to read fiction, which is absorbing and fun…but it has to be the right kind of fiction.

READ THIS, NOT THAT

The research involved a series of experiments that looked at the effects of reading various types of material, including literary fiction, a “deep” type of fiction that challenges readers to really think about the characters’ emotions and motivations.

Experiment #1: Participants were asked to read a short segment from either a nonfiction article (for instance, from Smithsonian magazine)…or a work of literary fiction (from an award-winning contemporary writer or one of the classics). Immediately after reading, all of the participants completed the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET), which measures how well people can perceive emotions. For the test, participants look at black-and-white photographs showing just people’s eyes and identify the emotion conveyed. There are 36 different photographs depicting emotions ranging from terrified to arrogant to playful to relaxed.

Results: After adjusting for education, age, gender, reading habits and other factors, the researchers determined that the participants who read literary fiction before taking the test performed significantly better. Specifically, literary fiction readers got 72% correct on the RMET, on average, while nonfiction readers got just 65% correct. (In report card terms, that’s the difference between an OK grade of C and a dismal grade of D!)

Experiments #2 through #5: These experiments also involved reading and then taking facial improvement tests. Immediately prior to testing, some participants read excerpts from literary fiction (such as finalists or winners of the National Book Award or PEN/O. Henry Award)…others read excerpts from popular fiction (such as Amazon.com best-selling romances or thrillers or selections from popular anthologies)…and still others did not read anything.

Results: Though the exact scores varied from experiment to experiment, across the board, people who read literary fiction scored significantly higher than those who read popular fiction or nothing at all—indicating that reading literary fiction helped participants be more attuned to the mental states of others.

THEORY OF THE MIND

One possible explanation for this phenomenon, the researchers said, is based on what’s called the Theory of Mind—the complex social skill of “mind-reading” to understand others’ mental states. The ability to do this is linked to empathy…and when it’s not done well, it can result in antisocial behavior and troubled interpersonal relationships. Reading literary fiction requires us to draw on our own thoughts and experiences to infer the thoughts and feelings of the characters—and this primes us to apply the same skills to real relationships. In contrast, popular fiction tends to be more predictable. Readers aren’t required to think so much about what the book’s characters are feeling and thinking, so although popular fiction is entertaining, it doesn’t hone this specific social skill.

Most remarkable: The positive effects of reading even a short passage of literary fiction were immediate. The researchers did not examine how long the benefits of a single reading session might last—but of course, there’s no limit on the number of times you can go back and read some more.

Try it yourself: To see how well you can read the emotions of others, take the RMET test. Then boost your social skills further by reading some literary fiction, such as the finalists and winners of the National Book Awards. Remember, what you read on paper influences how well you read other people—and that can make a big difference in your relationships.

Related Articles